Garter attachment for supporting stockings.



S- N. & CHANEY.

GARTER ATTACHMENT FOR SUPPORTING STOCKINGS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. 1916- Patented Nov. 20, 1917'.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS @FTQE.

SILAS NJETTLES CHANEY AND REUBEN CHANEY, 0F MAGNOLIA, LOUISIANA.

GAJRTER ATTACHMENT FOR SUPPORTING STOCKINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2(1 191?.

Application filed May 20, 1916. Serial No. 98,806.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SrLAs N. CHANEY and REUBEN CHANEY, citizens of theUnited States, and residents of Magnolia, in the parish of East BatonRouge and State of Louisiana, have made an Improved Garter Attachmentfor Supporting Stockings, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention is an elastic device for supporting stockings fromgarters, it being formed of spring material and constructed with hooksat its respective ends for engagement with, and detachable connectionof, stockings and garters. The latter do not require to be made ofrubber or other elastic material in order to hold their place on the legof the user, for the reason that the elasticity required is sup lied bythe portion of the device to whic the garter ends are attached.

The details of construction, combination, and operation of parts of thedevice are as hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views illustrating themanner of manipulating the device embodying the invention for applyingit to, and engaging it with, the top of a stocking leg.

Fig. 3 is a side view illustrating the attachment as applied and worn inactual use, a portion of the stocking leg being broken out for sake ofbetter illustration.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line H of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a face view of a modification.

The preferred form of the device represented in Figs. 1. to 4 inclusive,comprises spring arms or bars 1, which are united at the lower end andturned out in such manners as to form spring prongs that clamp the edgeof the stocking, as shown in Fig. 3, and the upper ends of said barsbeing also curved reversely to form prongs/3 and l.- which clamp theends of the garter 5. In other words, the ends of the device constituteelastic hooks which clamp the stocking and garter firmly when applied,as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The device is preferably constructed of one continuous piece of springWire and the latter may be covered like the so-called dressmakers wire,or plated with nickel, aluminum, or other material for preventingcorrosion. The parts 1, 2, 3, 4 comprising the device are in the sameplane so that the device when applied, as shown in Fig. 3, lies fiatagainst the leg of the user without abrading or irritating the skin.

In applying the device to a stocking, it is inverted, and the edge ofthe stocking inserted between the prongs 2 and the bars or arm 1, andthen the latter are turned upward as shown in Fig. 2, whereby the edgeof the stocking overlies and is clamped tightly by the prongs 2. Theends of the garter 5 are then drawn around the bars or arms 1 andbetween the clamping prongs 3 and 4, as shown plainly in Fig. 3.

It will be seen that the garter 5 does not require to be made of rubberor other elastic material, but may be made of inelastic fabric, for thereason that the required degree of elasticity is provided by the bars orarms 11, which are attached to the separated ends of the garter, andthus adapted to separate more or less widely according to the desireddegree of tension on the garter.

The modification shown in Fig. 5 is constructed of a piece of flatspring material, the lower end having lateral prongs b and the upperends of the arms or lets 1 being each provided with prongs 7 that embrace the garter 5, as shown. The several prongs 67 project inward ortoward each other as shown. The operation and manner of applying thedevice will be readily understood.

We claim 1. A device for supporting stockings from garters, comprisingprongs for gripping a stocking leg, divergent body portions having theirupper ends bent reversely and forming hook-like spring prongs forengaging a garter, all the parts of the device lying normally in thesame plane, and constructed as described.

2. The device for the purpose specified comprising lateral divergentbody portions, connected at their lower ends and constructed to formspring clamps, their upper ends being also bent inward, the severalparts being constructed integrally of spring material.

SILAS NETTLES CHANEY. REUBEN CHANEY.

